Joe Bonamassa Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks dvd review
"They always try to write off the blues; well we’ve proven tonight that at least 9,000 people like the blues," says celebrated blues rock master Joe Bonamassa who releases "Joe Bonamassa – Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks" on DVD, Blu-ray and CD set on March 23, 2015.
The exclusive concert experience, which is a tribute to blues legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, was filmed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre over Labor Day weekend in 2014.
Carved into the bedrock of Colorado’s majestic Rocky Mountains, the famed amphitheatre sets the stage for Bonamassa’s fiery delivery of over 2.5 hours of bluesy guitar-wailing and horn-filled tunes honouring the two Blues greats. Playing to a sold-out crowd of 9,000 fans, this marks the biggest show of Bonamassa’s career, a major milestone for the bluesman.
The Blu-ray and DVD contains over 1.5 hours of bonus features including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, photo gallery, historic footage of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and a featurette of Bonamassa and producer Kevin Shirley’s trip to The Crossroads.
Unlike any Bonamassa show before, Muddy Wolf marks the start of a tribute concert series that will display a different band and catalogue of material that will vary from Bonamassa’s music as a solo artist. For Muddy Wolf, songs were carefully selected from the catalogues of Howlin’ Wolf, one of Chicago’s most influential bluesmen, known for his deep, scratchy voice, and Muddy Waters, considered the "father of modern Chicago blues."
Muddy Waters was a major inspiration for the British blues explosion of the 1960s, a genre that has heavily influenced Bonamassa’s original music throughout his career.
Photo Credit:© Christie Goodwin
MUDDY WATERS SET
Mississippi Heartbeat (Intro)
1. Tiger In Your Tank
2. I Can't Be Satisfied
3. You Shook Me
4. Stuff You Gotta Watch
5. Double Trouble
6. Real Love
7. My Home Is On The Delta
8. All Aboard
2. I Can't Be Satisfied
3. You Shook Me
4. Stuff You Gotta Watch
5. Double Trouble
6. Real Love
7. My Home Is On The Delta
8. All Aboard
HOWLIN’ WOLF SET
1. How Many More Years
2. Shake For Me
3. Hidden Charms
2. Shake For Me
3. Hidden Charms
i. Band and Introductions
ii. Spoonful
iii. Killing Floor
iv. Evil (Is Going On)
v. All Night Boogie (All Night Long)
JOE BONAMASSA SET
2. Oh Beautiful!
3. Love Ain't A Love Song
4. Sloe Gin
5. Ballad of John Henry
6. Muddy Wolf Credits
3. Love Ain't A Love Song
4. Sloe Gin
5. Ballad of John Henry
6. Muddy Wolf Credits
The concert was presented by Keeping the Blues Alive (KTBA), which Bonamassa founded, and helps to promote the heritage of the blues to the next generation, fund music scholarships, and supplement the loss of music education programs in public schools. With ticket sales from the show, KTBA raised over $40,000 for schools across the country.
What was proved on this night, with $40,000 raised for charity and 9,000 fans dancing to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf songs, is that blues music is alive and well.
All of the above came from the original press release and sets it up beautifully and while watching the dvd the big thing for me is the passion contained within.
From all the musicians on stage to the 9000 fans in the crowd everyone has passion for live music and keeping the blues alive.
Wonderfully filmed in the most amazing setting on earth it would seem. As the sun sets over the Rocky Mountains the backdrop changes constantly with shadows over the rocky amphitheatre providing a light show like nothing I have ever seen.
The show is split into 3 sections a Muddy Waters set, a Howlin' Wolf set followed by a 30 minute set of Joe's own material that includes a couple of songs from his recent cd of original material Different Shades Of Blue before finishing with 2 classics Sloe Gin and Ballad Of John Henry.
Joe and his amazing band do a great job interpreting the songs with added extras of a 3 piece horn section and plenty of harmonica too giving the sound a huge depth.It is all about the love of the music from the artists and letting fans new and old being able to discover hidden gems that have been such a huge influence on Joe's music.
It is isn't all about Joe. The way it is filmed it lets everybody shine.On " I Can't Be Satisfied " there is a harmonica solo and is followed by a Hammond organ solo by Reese Wynans and as Joe's solo kicks in and goes up a notch you see Reese wide eyed and mouthing " Go Joe " like any fan would!! Watching the amazing Anton Fig playing on such a small drum kit and pummelling it into submission is worth the admission money alone.
On " You Shook Me " the pace is dropped and the blues is played down and dirty like in a smoky club. In the background as Joe's solo picks up pace you see the horn section really feeling the solo and as the extended solo builds to a climax all the crowd rise to their feet and applaud.It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention!!
" Stuff You Gotta Watch " includes a guitar solo from Kirk Fletcher who is an amazing player in his own right and shows the quality of player that Joe picks as his backing band.
I also love the way band start the show dressed smartly in white suits and black ties and as the show warms up they become more dishevelled with ties and jackets discarded as the temperature rises!!
On " Double Trouble " Joe holds a guitar solo note for 30 seconds and you hear the crowd noise build and after an extended solo that features some of the fastest fingered work I think I have ever seen Joe play,the crowd rise as one just as the song drops to a quieter moment.
Stunning.
The second set of Howlin' Wolf music has a very funky " Shake For Me " as a highlight." Spoonful " has a superb wah wah solo at its core before the set is brought to a close with an extended " All Night Boogie " which features another excellent solo from Kirk Fletcher.
After the short set of Joe's solo material the band take their bows and as Joe walks off stage he is met by Kevin Shirley with a high five and a hug and their huge grins say we pulled that one off!!
Joe Bonamassa has produced a superb tribute to 2 blues greats and I look forward to the next instalment which is the 3 Kings Freddie,BB and Albert for which he tours the US in the summer.
Photo Credit:© Christie Goodwin
